From Scripture to Science: Why Hinduism Advocates Silent Eating

Hinduism, despite what the West and the western-educated Hindus may prefer to believe, is a religion that is scientific in every aspect it has prescribed for its adherents. We have come to this earthly plane for one purpose alone: to attain union with God. All other duties imposed upon us over the course of our lives are merely ancillary, though indispensable, to the earthly existence we have assumed.

From conception to emancipation, every aspect of a Hindu’s life has been meticulously regulated with a view to fulfilling the very purpose of our birth on this planet. Even in so elementary an act as eating—common to all living beings—the Hindu scriptures offer guidance, enabling us to derive the greatest benefit from it and thereby sustain our existence on earth.

Eat in Silence

The Padma Purana explicitly emphasises the importance of eating in silence, associating it with spiritual purity and auspicious outcomes. In Chapter 64 of the Padma Purana, it is stated:

"A man who observes silence while eating, never perishes. The demons observing silence while eating, went to heaven... If a man eats food while talking, then by that it would become impure. He just eats sin. Therefore, he should observe silence. O Nārada, eating silently should be known to be like (observing) a fast."

This passage underscores that speaking during meals renders the food impure and equates silent eating with the spiritual discipline of fasting.

therefore, the first rule of eating is silence. 

Manusmriti 3:236 says, "All the food should be eaten... in silence."

Mahabarata Book 13 on Anusasana Parva, Section 104, on this, says, “Panchaardhro Bhojanam Kuryaat Praangmukho Mounam Aasthtita: Na Nindet Anna Bhakshyaamscha Svaadu Asvaadu Cha Bhakshayet”. That is, one should at all times eat (bhojanam) in silence (mounam).

On this issue of silence, Swami Sri Sivananda says, "Observe Mouna (silence) during food," (=when you're consuming food) (pg. 111, Yoga in Daily Life), and "Observe silence when you take your food," (pg. 85, Health & Happiness). And, the author of Autobiography of a Yogi says, "Eat in silence... God loves silence" (December 10, Spiritual Diary by Paramahansa Yogananda).

It is considered sinful to talk whilst eating. Mahatmas and Hindu scriptures have prescribed the practice that, after offering prayers in honour of the food, one should eat in silence. Namely, one ought to concentrate wholly on the act of eating, refraining from looking at one’s mobile phone, scrolling through it, or reading posts on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media platforms. Many individuals also indulge in watching television or videos on YouTube during meals, a habit deleterious both to mental and physical health. One’s concentration should be solely on the act of eating, which is a sacred ritual performed daily to sustain one’s health and life.

Research on Multitasking Shows

According to research on eating behaviour, the absence of conversation, music, or other auditory stimuli may alter how the body reacts to food. Eating in silence appears to heighten other sensory experiences within the body, which can affect not only the way one perceives food but also one’s relationship with it. Eating in silence influences the body’s response to food in four principal ways:

1. You eat a lot less: “Our brains keep track of the amount of food sensations that occur,” says Professor Charles Spence, head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at the University of Oxford in England. “When there is no noise, eating becomes more tactical; and there is more smell sensation, because the auditory sensation of noise isn’t overloading the brain — it is able to attend to the task of eating.” And since there is less distraction, the satiety signals that your stomach sends to your brain are actually heard.

In addition, some people have reported that they eat less when eating in silence because they become self-conscious of the act of eating itself. Spence says that some of the effects of silent eating have as much to do with the dining environment. “Dining alone or with someone, dining in private or in public, these are all things that will affect how and how much you eat, whether in silence or not.”

Either way, silent eating might help you consume less, whether it is because you’re consciously more aware that you are eating and therefore stop sooner or because your body is more aware of the sensation of eating since it is not dulled by noise.

2. You can hear your food: “Food makes noise,” remarks Spence, who is also the author of the forthcoming book “Gastrophysics.” “We don’t concentrate on it. It’s crunchy, crackly, crispy, carbonated, squeaky, etc., which corresponds to mouth-feel, but they are also sound driven.” He points out that food noise is heard externally and internally, so you really can’t get around it — especially when you are eating in silence.

What’s more, “foods that are noisy seem to retain their flavor longer,” he says. “Noisy foods are perceived to have desirable characteristics, such as being fresher. Noise is a sign that foods are more nutritious.”

3. Your food tastes different: “Sound is the forgotten flavour sense,” Spence claims. In a 2012 scientific review on how noise affects the way people perceive flavour published in the journal Physiology & Behaviour, he wrote that research clearly demonstrates that what you hear — whether it is the sound of food, the sound of the packaging, the sound of the food being prepared, or the sound of the environment where you are eating and drinking — can exert a profound role in your eating behaviour, not to mention on your flavour perception.

“There is a masking of taste when noise is loud,” he says. Numerous studies have looked at the effects of loud restaurants on the taste of food and found that both background noise and loud music can impair the ability to taste food and drink. In silence, your brain is able to pay attention to the flavours that your taste buds are coming in contact with, so you may experience flavours more intensely than if you were to eat the same dish while talking to a friend or in a loud room.

But even if you eat in silence, Spence brings up another point about how noise affects the taste of food. As alluded to earlier when discussing the sound of food, noisy foods tend to be seen as desirable, and this may be one reason why snack foods are popular, says Spence. The sound of the packaging of foods like chips mimics the sound of crisp and fresh foods.

Also, the sound of preparation plays a role in how we taste food and drink. If you think about going to a juice bar or a coffee shop, or even if you’re making juice or coffee in your kitchen, the noise of the machines used to create those beverages can affect the expectations you have and hence the taste of your beverage, according to Spence.

4. Automatically, you’re eating mindfully: Eating mindfully has been a to-do for a while. You probably know the tips by heart: Chew your food more, roll the food around in your mouth, study your food on your plate, etc. When you eat in silence, you can’t help but eat mindfully, Spence says. As mentioned before, without sound to distract the other senses involved in eating, as well as to distract you from the act of eating, you experience the taste, feel and smell of your food and your brain is able to regulate how much you eat.

Basically, if you are trying to enhance your relationship with food and how you eat it, turning off the world and dining in silence may be the easiest, no-brainer way to do so.

Your Friends' Droplets of Saliva Land in Your Food 

When we speak, tiny droplets of water (as part of saliva and moisture from our respiratory tract) are expelled from our mouth. These are often called aerosols or droplets, and they contain a mix of water, salts, enzymes, and sometimes microorganisms.

The amount and size of these droplets vary depending on how loudly and forcefully one speaks. For example, shouting or speaking forcefully tends to produce more droplets than whispering.

When two persons sit about one arm’s length apart (roughly 2 to 3 feet or 60 to 90 cm) and speak over a meal, some droplets expelled during speech can indeed land on each other’s food, especially if they are speaking directly toward each other. Here is why:

1. Droplet size and travel: Larger droplets (>5 microns) usually fall to surfaces within 1 metre (about 3 feet). So, in a close setting like a shared meal, there is a significant chance they could settle on nearby items, including food.

2. Direction of speech: If people are facing each other and talking animatedly (especially with certain consonants like “p” or “t”), droplets can travel farther and with more force.

3. Environmental factors: Indoors with still air, droplets are more likely to settle quickly. Outdoors or in well-ventilated areas, dispersion is better but not guaranteed to prevent contamination altogether.

While such droplets are usually harmless if both individuals are healthy, they can be a concern during illness outbreaks, which is why good ventilation, not speaking while chewing, and sometimes even staggered seating are advised in public dining settings.

Scriptures on the Directions to Face When Eating

Manusmriti 2:52 says,

manuAayushmam Praangmukho Bhunkthe Yashasyam Dakshinaamukhaha |
Shriyam Prathyangmukho Bhunkthe Rutham Bhunkthe-hyudangmukhaha 

Translation: One who desires long life has to face East while eating. One who wants fame has to face South. One who wants wealth must eat facing West and the one who wants the fruit of truth should eat facing North.

The same, as we saw above, the Mahabarata has said (Book 13 on Anusasana Parva, Section 104) that "If one eats with face turned eastwards, one becomes endued with longevity. By eating with face turned southwards, one acquires great fame. By eating with face turned westwards, one acquires great wealth. By eating with face turned northwards, one becomes truthful in speech".

In Kurma Purana, the Lord has said, "While eating, if one sits facing east, one's intelligence is increased, by facing south, one becomes famous, by facing west, one becomes wealthy, and by facing north, one achieves the topmost benefit."

Sources:
1. Mahabarata
2. Kurma Purana
3. Manusmiriti
4. Swami Sivananda's  "Yoga in Daily Life" and "Health & Happiness"
5. Paramahansa Yogananda's "Spiritual Diary"
6. Vaishnava Kantha-Hara by Sri Krsna Balaram Swami
7. https://www.24life.com/heres-what-happens-when-you-eat-in-silence/

8. https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-padma-purana/d/doc365641.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com